How to Get the Star Wars Battlefront Beta

If the wait for Star Wars Battlefront's Nov. 17 release date feels as excruciating as Darth Vader's force choke, fear not: you'll get to play the game very soon. An open beta for EA's intergalactic multiplayer shooter kicks off on Oct. 8, allowing anyone on PS4, Xbox One or PC to test-drive Battlefront's massive Rebel vs. Empire battles before its official launch.

There's no complicated sign-up process -- getting into the Battlefront beta is as simple as downloading it from your digital marketplace of choice starting Oct. 8. PS4 players can nab the beta from the PlayStation Store, Xbox One owners can get it from the Xbox Live Marketplace, and PC gamers can download it from EA's Origin client.

You'll be able to play three of Battlefront's modes across three different maps. Walker Assault on Hoth, which blew our minds at this year's E3, features huge 40-player battles that mix on-foot and vehicle warfare. Drop Zone mode will consist of smaller 8-on-8 battles on the planet Sullust, while Survival Mission will task you with gunning down hordes of Imperial enemies either alone or with a buddy on the iconic world of Tatooine.

In addition to online play, you'll be able to play Survival Mission split-screen with another friend. The beta will allow you to rank up to level five, though your stats and unlocks will not carry over to the final version of Battlefront.

Star Wars Battlefront will launch with its own companion app, which will be available on the Battlefront website during the beta and on iOS and Android once the full game releases. In addition to letting you track your in-game stats, Battlefront Companion features a mini-game called Base Command that lets you unlock credits for use in the full game.

The beta will take up about 7GB of storage, and will last until Oct. 12. System requirements for the PC version can be found on the game's Origin page, and while you'll need a fairly powerful machine to run the game, you should be good to go as long as you have a high-end graphics card from the last few years. If you've been on the fence about whether or not EA's Star Wars shooter is for you, there's no reason not to try it out for free.